Sask. man's family found, homes wrecked, in Haiti

Carlos Petit-Homme says he has heard from most of his family members and that they are OK. ((CBC))

The president of Saskatchewan's Caribbean-Canadian Association has learned family members in Haiti are OK following the devastating earthquake that hit the country Tuesday.

Carlos Petit-Homme said Friday he was able to reach a sister by telephone after three days of trying

"It was at first a joyful moment because I was able to hear, not only from somebody in Haiti, but … also from my family directly," Petit-Homme said. "I was worried that something might have happened to them."

While immediate family members were accounted for, Petit-Homme said he is still anxious to learn the fate of many friends and extended family. He said he also learned that two family homes had been destroyed in the quake.

Other people in Saskatchewan were still waiting for word from loved ones in Haiti.

Jean Morisset is still waiting to hear from family in Haiti. ((CBC))

Jean Morisset told CBC News on Friday that his father is doing missionary work in Haiti, and has not been reached.

"Right now, we are concerned about him," Morisset said. "Concerned about uncles and aunts that are in the country."

On Friday Morisset was in Moose Jaw, Sask., where preparations were underway for a benefit concert to be held next week in support of Haiti relief.

Morisset, a chaplain for the RCMP training academy in Regina, also expressed sorrow over the death of a Mountie working in Haiti. On Saturday it was reported that a second RCMP member in Haiti, missing since the quake, had been found dead.

The Moose Jaw benefit will feature a band called The Uncoolas Hit Revue, which will do a show at the Mae Wilson Theatre on Jan. 22.

Aaron Ruston, lead singer for The Uncoolas Hit Revue, will be part of a benefit concert. ((CBC))

"This sounds tacky or sounds cliché, but I believe as humans we have a responsibility to everyone," Aaron Ruston, lead singer for the band, said Friday. "We are so blessed here in the heartland. We don't see things like this and I believe we need to reach out. Each one of us has to make a difference however we can."

The band, which parodies classic pop tunes, was approached by people in Moose Jaw connected to an aid program called Haiti Arise.

That organization, which provides ongoing assistance to Haiti, will direct funds from the concert to disaster relief.